We made the Student cap to the King of Sweden

There are certain moments in a company's history that become bigger than everyday life. Events that remind us why craftsmanship, quality and tradition actually mean something. For us at CTH Ericson, such a moment is documented in black and white in Swedish press history.

The year was 1966. Sweden had not yet had its current king on the throne. At the time, he was still Crown Prince Carl Gustaf, a young student who was just about to celebrate the same classic student celebration as thousands of other young people around the country.

But there was a small detail that made that particular student a little special. The student cap he wore came from us. And if we're being completely honest, we still think it's pretty cool.

When the future king of Sweden would graduate

The graduation day has always been a big day in Sweden, but when a member of the royal family graduates, it becomes something completely different. The press gathers, people flock and suddenly an otherwise quite mundane tradition becomes a national event.

In April 1966, the weekly magazine Se och Hör reported extensively on the Crown Prince's graduation celebration. On the cover, a young Carl Gustaf with a graduation cap was clearly visible while the whole of Sweden followed what was then one of the major media events of the year.

What many people may not have known at the time was that the cap on his head came from our production. We had been entrusted with creating one of the country's most notable graduation caps that year. It is a responsibility that is not taken lightly.

A student cap that ended up in the middle of history

When we look back at old newspaper clippings from 1966, it becomes almost surreal.

Amidst photographers, journalists and big headlines, the Crown Prince stands with a student cap made by us at CTH Ericson. A product that basically looks exactly like the caps we still make today.

That is perhaps what makes the story so fascinating.

The student cap is one of the few traditions in Sweden that has survived generation after generation almost completely unchanged. The same white fabric, the same black ribbon, the same classic design that is associated with freedom, the future and a closed chapter in life.

That our product was allowed to be part of such a historic moment is something we still wear with pride.

The newspapers told the story

It was not just the weekly press that noticed the event. An article was published in Borlänge Tidning, which clearly stated that the Crown Prince had chosen a student cap from CTH. The headline sounded almost a little proud in its own way and told about how Sweden's future monarch had chosen a cap from our production.

The article also told something that still says a lot about our position back then. At that time, we were responsible for a large part of the student cap production in Sweden. Thousands of students each year wore caps made by us, but it was of course extra special when one of them happened to be the country's future king. It's not every day that you get to deliver to the royal family.

The craft behind a Royal Student cap

It would have been easy to think that a student cap is just a student cap.

But the truth is that it has always been much more than that for us.

Since 1885, our work was built on meticulous craftsmanship, high-quality materials and a respect for tradition that has characterized our entire business since the beginning.

Every seam, every detail and every part of the construction had to meet the standards that people expect.

When we made caps back then, there was still a lot of manual work behind each finished product. It wasn’t about fast production, but about creating something that actually meant something to the person who would wear it.

In this case, the wearer happened to be the future king of Sweden.

That makes the story quite unique.

We still carry the same pride today

The beauty of this story is not just that we made the graduation cap for King Carl XVI Gustaf. The beauty is that it says something bigger about who we are.

For generations, we at CTH Ericson have worked with the same basic idea. To create graduation caps that represent something important in people's lives. A memory that is often saved long after the graduation day is over.

Every year we send out thousands of graduation caps to new generations who are facing the same big day as the Crown Prince did in 1966.

The difference is really just the camera flashes.

When we look back on this part of our history, we are reminded of something quite simple.

Traditions matter.

Craftsmanship matters.

And sometimes really good craftsmanship leads to your work ending up on the head of Sweden's future king.

It's a story we still tell with a smile.